WYCA commits £230m towards upgraded regional transport

Leaders from all five councils in the county have signed off an investment pipeline detailing what share of the funding each region will receive towards improved travel connections and walking and cycling routes.

The aim is that by improving connectivity, West Yorkshire will be able to boost growth through increased employment opportunities, business expansion, and high-quality homes.

Bradford

Bradford’s City Village is being delivered by the council and ECF, and will see the delivery of 1,000 new homes as well as green spaces, shops, cafes, and restaurants in the city centre.

The Combined Authority has pledged around £13m to help deliver the first phase of the scheme.

The Southern Gateway scheme includes the City Village project, and will double the size of the city centre and create space for businesses and more than 5,000 homes.

Arup is currently creating the masterplan for the 310-acre site, which received a £1.3m commitment in this round of funding towards improving junctions, footpaths, cycle lanes, and bus journeys between Tong Street and Bradford City Centre.

Plans are underway to build a Low Carbon Hydrogen plant in Bradford, which will be one of the largest low carbon hydrogen production facilities in the UK.

Calderdale

Elland’s new £25m rail station on the Calder Valley Line is already part of a £70m scheme to improve existing transport links and create new walking and cycling routes.

Designed and set-to-be delivered by Keltbray Infrastructure Services, the station will also improve the town’s connections with the wider region including Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford, and Manchester.

Work is taking place to improve connectivity and infrastructure through Brighouse and between Huddersfield and Bradford including major highway improvements on the A641 and plans to install a new bridge and improve existing infrastructure to make it easier to walk, wheel, cycle, use public transport, or drive.

Plans are also in place to transform a large site at Clifton, near Brighouse, into a business park which could create around 1,300 jobs. The project will also see the delivery of two new garden communities that could unlock more than 3,000, high-quality homes in the area.

And finally for Calderdale, there are also plans to add new homes, retail, and leisure space to Dean Clough, the grade two-listed mill complex in Halifax town centre.

Kirklees

The £10.5m Heckmondwike Bus Station will open in 2026 as the first Weaver Network bus station, with additional bus stops, indoor seating, accessible facilities, and a green roof with solar panels.

And in new news, construction works for new footpaths, crossings and cycle lanes will start across Dewsbury town centre following the approval of £7.5m at the recent meeting, with a further £10m pledged towards improving transport links between Batley and Dewsbury.

West Yorkshire’s Investment Zone is aiming to establish the region as one of the world’s most influential hubs for health technology and within the wider development of the Huddersfield Station-to-Stadium Enterprise Corridor, this includes the remediation of the Gasworks Street South Site, unlocking growth and innovation in healthtech, and complementing the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus.

Dewsbury Riverside could also see 3,000 homes built to the south of the town centre, creating new green spaces and a network of new garden communities. The site will see transport connectivity unlocked through the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

Leeds

A commitment to a train station at Leeds Bradford Airport was discussed at the meeting, although no figures were confirmed. First suggested in 2022, in July last year the decision was made to reassess the project due to viability reasons.

The idea is the station will support Leeds Bradford Airport’s Vision 2030, backed by £200m in private investment, as the airport hopes to reach an anticipated seven million passengers a year by 2030 and the creation of up to 5,500 new jobs.

More solid funding was committed to busy suburbs in Leeds at the meeting, with more than £73 million approved towards improvement works for the city’s roads, including improving bus lanes, footpaths, and crossings in Headingley and Armley.

Wakefield

WYCA intends to purchase land at Newton Bar and build a new, all-electric bus depot at a cost of around £60m.

The first, purpose-built Weaver Network bus depot will create a modern base for up to 125 electric buses, improving reliability and helping deliver cleaner, more efficient bus services in Wakefield.

The Ridings Shopping Centre in the city centre will also be demolished to make way for more than 1,000 new homes as well as leisure and retail spaces -the government has committed £17.9m towards the first phase of the project.

Castleford will benefit from a new investment of £11.9m towards new footbridge, toucan, and pedestrian crossings, as well as new cycle routes from the town centre along the banks of the River Aire to Wheldon Road near Fryston village.

Funding of £4m was also confirmed towards expanding office space in Wakefield at the Langthwaite Enterprise Zone, which aims to accelerate local economic growth.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “This is a huge moment for West Yorkshire, as we deliver on our promises and change lives for the better in every corner of our great region.

“Almost a quarter of a billion pounds of investment will help us to get shovels in the ground, boost public transport, build new homes, and back the communities and businesses that keep our region moving.

“With all five districts coming together to work as one West Yorkshire powerhouse, we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting on with the job of building a stronger, greener, fairer and better connected region – one that puts more money in people’s pockets and grows the UK economy.”